The 1973 oil shock brought queues of panic buying to our family's little Esso station in my home village: we would sell in two hours what would normally be a long day's worth, writes Brian Byrne. To maintain service and supply, I cobbled a rationing system that anyone with less than half a tank got a fill; those with more than half could come back the next day. It was rough and ready but worked, and most customers were happy enough. Except one, who had three-quarters of a tank and became very upset when I wouldn't fill it. The reason? “I’m travelling to the Caribbean next week.”
Already on a short fuse, I lost it. “Are you effing DRIVING there?”
“No. But there might be no petrol when I come back.”
Let’s draw a curtain on my reply and move on to the following year, on my first, and only, foray into local politics. During canvassing, I rocked up to the same person's house. The door opened. “Yes?”
“I’m running for the council. Will you consider voting for me?”
No hesitation, let alone a consideration. “You didn’t give me petrol last year!” And the door slammed in my face. You can’t win ‘em all. I was beaten to the last seat on the 10th count by another first-timer from an opposing party. Ever after, and God be good to his soul, I thanked him.
Though we're not yet back to 1973 drivers siphoning their petrol into cans and storing it in their garden sheds and then going back out for more, there have been jitters that we might be back to shortage and even rationing. But at least cars these days go a lot further on whatever fuel they use. There are a lot more electric cars on the road, too, and many hybrids in several varieties.
The latest model from the world's largest 'new energy' carmaker to land in Ireland is the BYD Sealion 5 Super Hybrid. Direct competitors are the Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai's Tucson, and Nissan's Qashqai. The car is similar in width to these and a bit longer. In looks, it arguably holds its own against those others: I would say the design is, in fact, better. The grille, lights and lower fascia make for a distinctive front. There's strong sculpting in the profile, and the rear is a commendably clean confection. Altogether, a coherent design aesthetic.
Inside, a sweeping dashboard flows into a high centre console. As we now expect, a large centre screen dominates, complemented by a smaller one for the driver. Compared to some in other China-sourced cars, the virtual buttons are adequately large and located where they should be, in two rows along the bottom of the screen. The driver's screen provides primary information in a neat, clean way.
The console between the two front seats is well laid out and has a slick transmission selector that looks good and works intuitively. There's a manual volume roller among some real switchgear.
The whole sense within is of high perceived quality. That's no longer a surprise from this maker, with every one of the now eight models on sale here — apart, arguably, from the first quirky-interior Atto 3 — offering exactly that. The details and the very solid build quality are what we would have expected only from a very premium model as little as a decade ago.
It's a roomy car. The extra length has been given to the passengers rather than for cargo, and that makes the rear three seats very livable. Vegan leather is standard, as are front seats with electric adjustment, and a V2L power point — one can connect a coffee machine on a picnic, or a power tool working in the yard.
The powertrain is a 3-way hybrid, with the battery operating the driving wheels at all times, kept charged by a 1.5-litre petrol engine. The output is 200hp, with the capability of driving either 62 km or 86 km on electric power alone, depending on the battery size. The petrol engine will also add a direct driving boost under strong acceleration. A full tank and battery can take the car further than 1,000 km. An overall fuel consumption of 2.7L/100 km will give competitor brands a worried frown (and owners a smile as they don't have to queue for petrol so much).
My first drive with the Sealion 5 Super Hybrid left me thinking that there's very little difference these days between a car like this and a premium SUV costing several tens of thousands more. If that proves to be the case over a more extended time, the revolution from China is now more than technological.
PRICE: From €36,990; WHAT I LIKED: A solid, premium feel at an affordable price.
